CategoryEthics
A Scientist’s Nightmare: Doxxed on Twitter
The surprisingly good news is that online riots may be hurting the Twitter brand
Younger Thinkers Now Argue That Free Will Is Real
The laws of physics do not rule it out, they sayAssuming this trend among younger thinkers persists, the philosophical discussions around AI are not making determinism seem necessary or inevitable. And that, when you think of it, is an odd fate for determinism.
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Are we risking a planetary AI intelligence explosion?
Or are our problems with AI the usual boring stuff we prefer to avoid?Mind Matters News asked some of our house computer science experts for comment.
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A Critic of the Evangelical Statement on AI Misunderstands the Issues
On the question of moral responsibility, Dr. Swamidass seems to misunderstand the Statement entirelyRather than lacking insight into AI issues, this band of theologians is especially sagacious in applying theology to them.
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Can AI make us better human beings?
Helping us believe that is a promising new business area for someTo the extent that compassion is a moral choice (that is, not just a manipulation), a key issue is that there is no universal moral machine.
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Scientists’ Definition of Life Excludes AI, but Includes Embryos
A sophisticated AI machine would certainly be worth a lot of money but it has no more moral worth than a broken toasterSpeaking of moral value, the professors’ proposed definition would certainly include the earliest human embryos, their status as “human life” often denied by those who wish to justify their wanton destruction or casual instrumental use as natural resources.
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Need Cash Fast? Just Pretend That You Wrote Software
Tesla is not the first company to announce software it hasn’t written, but it is indeed the most brazenSoftware engineers call imaginary products “vaporware.” And if the tag fits, it wouldn’t be the first time that Tesla has marketed an illusion.
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Transhumanism, the Lazy Way to Human ‘Improvement’
Transhumanists don’t seem much interested in such real improvements in the human condition. They want quick, easy technological fixesThe transhumanist movement swoons over increasing intelligence. If I had to choose between increasing the intelligence of the human race versus enhancing our capacity to love, the human race would be far better off embracing the latter than the former. There is no brain implant for that.
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AI Is Not a Simple Fix for Plagiarism
The internet speeded up a perennial problem without changing itIf imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, plagiarism amounts to passing ourselves off as experts without tears. It’s not realistic to expect software to detect all of the subtleties.
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A Mind Matters Review: Love, Death, & Robots
Despite the trash and ruined expectations, several shorts were enjoyable and downright fun to watchLove, Death, & Robots is rather ambiguous. Perhaps a more descriptive title would be Blood, Butts, and Some Sci-Fi Thrown In.
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Self-driving Cars Need Virtual Rails
The alternative is more needless fatalitiesA virtual rail is essentially a road that is built expressly for driverless cars.
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AI Ethics and the Value of Human Life
Unanticipated consequences will always be a problem for totally autonomous AIIn the development of technology overall, there is always a tradeoff in which human life is given a price. For example, cheap cars aren’t safe and safe cars aren’t cheap.
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A Closer Look at Detroit: Become Human, Part II
One pillar, if you like, of the worldview of the “Church of AI” is the belief that our embrace of artificial intelligence is a step on the road to a higher form of life.Looking more closely, we can see that the stupidity and insignificance of human beings is a central dogma in the AI religion.
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Why we can’t just ban killer robots
Should we develop them for military use? The answer isn’t pretty. It is yes.Autonomous AI weapons are potentially within the reach of terrorists, madmen, and hostile regimes like Iran and North Korea. As with nuclear warheads, we need autonomous AI to counteract possible enemy deployment while avoiding its use ourselves.
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Can We Program Morality into a Self-Driving Car?
A software engineering professor tells us why that’s not a realistic goalAny discussion of the morality of the self-driving car should touch on the fact that the industry as a whole thrives on hype that skirts honesty.
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STEM EDUCATION 3. Killing People and Breaking Things
Modern history suggests that military superiority driven by technology can be a key factor in deterring aggression and preventing mass fatalities
Bitcoin: Is Lack of Trust the Biggest Security Threat?
It’s almost a parable: Everyone can see, no one can access, the millions trapped in the ether by a password known only to a dead manIs this the future of currency? Seems like the Dark Ages to me. Bitcoin is a clever idea, but it is perhaps too clever for its own good.
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The Junk Science of the Abortion Lobby
Fetuses not only experience pain but experience it more intensely than do adults